Every once in a while I use this space as a forum to try and drum up some support or excitement for a particular team or event in town that could use some love. More often than not, it’s been local baseball that has been the topic of conversation. Today, it’s Calgary Roughnecks lacrosse.

The Roughnecks are not new in town. Many of you have been going to lacrosse games at the ‘Dome for years. In fact, I’ve been lectured in the past that I need to spend more time talking about the team or going to the games.

The team is under new ownership as is widely known. Brad Banister, after years of carrying the team on a deficit decided enough was enough and sold the club to the Calgary Flames ownership group. Banister likely deserves a debt of gratitude from lacrosse fans in Southern Alberta because the Roughnecks most certainly would have been calling another city home were it not for his love of the team and the sport. The team is under the Flames umbrella now and there are some cosmetic changes, but the roster and attitude remains the same.

I’m compelled to write about the Roughnecks today, not so much that the team or sport is in dire need of your affection and recreational dollar, but to maybe bring to attention one of the most entertaining sports outings in the city you’ve maybe never experienced.

I took my six year old son to the home opener last weekend with a group of his buddies. Not surprisingly, the hits, goals and music was a big hit. They were on their feet the entire time and had a blast. I went with a group of parents, the bulk of whom had never been to a Roughnecks game before. The home team gave up a late goal and lost in overtime. As a whole, the parental group were quite impressed and surprised at the level of play and entertainment value.

My kid spent the last week repeating the Roughnecks goal song (BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!) ad naseum in our house and upon hearing there was another game on Saturday, began begging to go back. Which we did. The home opener had plenty of excitement. A late goal to tie it, followed by OT. Could this second game match that intensity? The answer is yes. The crowd of just over seven thousand was surprisingly loud. The Roughnecks again would lose, and again in overtime, but the lad had more fun the second time around than the first. Even I found myself fist pumping to the goals in the fourth quarter and unusually disappointed when the winning goal found the Roughnecks net.

Could it be that at my old age I could find a new sporting love? I’ve been to games before. I was aware that the product was worthy of attention. Maybe it’s because my kid loves it and it’s a new father-son experience for us. Or maybe I just never honestly gave it a shot. One of the first things I did after the game was over was check the schedule. Next home game? February 18th. I’ll be there. So should you.

- The St. Louis Blues shut out Dallas Monday 1-0. With the win, the Blues moved into a three way tie for top spot in the overall NHL Standings. Since the hiring of Ken Hitchcock, the Blues have rolled to a 21-5-6 record. That is stunning. The team itself is pretty much the same as a year ago, minus the additions of Jason Arnott, Jamie Langenbrunner and Brian Elliott. Sure seems like they’ve bought into what Hitch is selling. Monday night was the 9th straight time the Blues kept their opponent off the scoreboard in the third period. Pretty good sign. Being able to lock things down in the third period is a trademark of elite level teams.

- Ryan Miller is having a nightmare season in Buffalo. On a few occasions this season, Miller has come out with scathing comments after a loss. Sometimes directed at the media, other times at his team mates. After the 5-0 hammer job they took against Detroit, Miller was at it again suggesting that a simple trade wasn’t going to rectify the issues plaguing them. Interestingly, Miller was pulled from the hockey game in the 2nd period after allowing five goals and was still steaming afterwards even though he was allowed to sit on the bench for the send half of the game and cool off. The Sabres are just two points up on Montreal in the East and the Habs are viewed by many as a complete mess.

- We’re past the half way point of the season and it seems difficult to see anyone than Ken Hitchcock, John Tortorella or Paul MacLean being nominated for the Jack Adams Award.

- The griping hasn’t even started and I’m already dreading the belly aching about the NHL All Star Game. If it bothers you so, don’t watch it. No guns to your head people.

- Could it be that Eli is the best QB in the Manning family?

- I find it hard to believe that Sean Avery is still sought after in the NHL. Last week, two teams had allegedly reached out to the New York Rangers and said they would have claimed him on re-entry waivers if they were to have called him up. If Avery is actually a good guy, no one has done more damage to their reputation and perception than he has. I’m not sure what he can actually bring anymore on the ice, but I don’t see how any team that is in the hunt for post season success and cares about dressing room chemistry would bother with this guy anymore.

- Not sure about Mike Cammalleri in #93.

- The way I see it, there’s one spot up for grabs in the Western Conference playoff picture. I think St. Louis, Vancouver, San Jose, Detroit, Chicago, Nashville, and Los Angeles will be somewhere in there. I’m not sold on Minnesota. I think it’s a five team race for one spot. I’m not sure what to think in the East. I find it hard to believe Pittsburgh or Washington wouldn’t make it. New Jersey could fall out and maybe even reality catches up to the Ottawa Senators. It’s awfully early to be looking at playoff races and chases, but the East is going to have some incredible drama down the stretch.

- Seems like Steve Yzerman has his work cut out for him in Tampa Bay after all. Yzerman took over the Lightning last season and pardon the play on words, but they in fact caught Lightning in a bottle. They went on an impressive playoff run and were one of the best stories of the season. This year has been a drastically different story. Outside of Steven Stamkos, who continues to score like no other, the Lightning have been a disappointment. In fairness, Martin St. Louis has been solid and Vincent Lecavalier has performed okay, but the goaltending hasn’t been great and their depth has been exposed. Not only will they not be playoff team, they could be in line for a lottery pick. Maybe it’s a one year dip and after selected a young stud high in the draft they will be back. Or, maybe Guy Boucher’s defensive trap style can’t win in the long run in the National Hockey League.

- Can you believe Darcy Tucker is still counting on Toronto’s salary cap? He played two years in Colorado after being bought out in Toronto and STILL has two years after this on the Leafs cap hit. Bad signing there.

- Ottawa defenseman Erik Karlsson has 44 points in 46 games to lead blueliners in scoring. Not bad for a guy who probably couldn’t be picked out of a police lineup in a majority of NHL cities.

- Time for a nap. 8:30 start in San Jose? Nice.

Dust off those Cammalleri jerseys Flames fans.

Cammy’s back.

As word began to trickle out of the TD Garden in Boston Thursday night that Mike Cammalleri had been pulled from the lineup…then sent back to the team hotel…then traded somewhere…on one hand I felt like it was a sure thing. Cammalleri is coming back to Calgary. At the same time though, I was convinced that there was no way that Cammalleri was coming back to Calgary. Within a few minutes, the confirmation came down that in fact Jay Feaster swung the deal shipping Rene Bourque to Montreal for the former Flame.

Meanwhile, the Flames were playing a scoreless game against the Anaheim Ducks. As if the game had a tough enough time keeping everyone’s attention already, as word of the trade started to sift around the ‘Dome via Blackberry’s and IPhone’s you could have thrown four pucks on the ice and no one would have noticed.

Mike Cammalleri spent one glorious season in Calgary. The undersized sniper fired home 39 goals. He led the team in goal scoring. He filled reporters recorders and notebooks. Everyone was happy. Then he was gone. Poof. How could they? Why would Sutter Inc. see fit to let Cammy walk? In hindsight, the team held on to Olli Jokinen, traded and signed Jay Bouwmeester and the team hasn’t seen the playoffs since. So was that the start of the spiral downwards for the Flames? No real answer, but the team hasn’t been the same since.

So what is Cammalleri capable of now? I fear that fans will automatically expect 40 goals and 80 points a season. Seems lofty to me. Maybe expectations will be more realistic, but again…what do Flames fans remember of Cammalleri? Goals goals goals goals. We shall see.

While the initial reaction was that of a resounding win for Feaster and a sound beating for Pierre Gauthier, more and more pundits are viewing this as a risky proposition for the Flames. Why would they sacrifice a second round pick? Why would they take on an additional 3 million dollars in salary. Why would they send out a prospect when they seem to be in need of them as much as any team in the league? All valid questions. Thing is, for fans in this city there has been very little to be excited about this season. Speaking of the TD Garden in Boston…remember what happened there last week? Yea, I thought so. Fans are pumped and can’t wait to get to the rink. I say, “enjoy it”. Maybe it doesn’t work out and maybe they’ll regret it and maybe Patrick Holland turns into Patrick Kane…but right now, the fans are jacked and it’s been a while since this team has really given their faithful a reason to stand up and be proud.

It is the start of 2012. The new year is all soft and fresh. The time for resolutions. Promises to one’s self for the upcoming 12 months. I choose not to make resolutions because I know I will only fail in keeping them and then slip further into depression and angst towards myself. However, I will try to hold true to one.

Blogging.

Partly because I feel I should, and partly because my boss said I’ll need a meeting with HR if I don’t doing so with more regularity. So here we go.

- Russia 6 Canada 5. A heartbreaking loss, that kinda felt like a win if you try hard enough. Canada won’t play in the gold medal game and we’ll never know how crazy the Saddledome and the city would have gotten, but I think we got a quick glimpse. As Canada chipped away at the Russian lead, the emotions and electricity escalated. By the time the hosts made it a 6-5 game, it was bonkers. On one hand, it was fascinating to see the crowd celebrate and lose it’s collective composure. But, we lost. Yea, there is that. I’m disappointed to be unable to see what the gold medal atmosphere would have been like with Canada involved. I hope fans will still come out for the bronze medal game and cheer loudly. It won’t be the same, but it still matters.

It’s been a long time since hockey fans in Calgary have been able to lose themselves in celebration, but for about ten minutes it was like 2004 all over again. I was happy for fans to be able to go off. Kinda felt bad in a way that they haven’t had that kind of release since…well, basically 2004. Sports is fun. Winning, or the pursuit of it is fantastic. Hockey fans showed that they are ready to take to 17th Ave again. They just need the reason.

- I think Kevin Glenn is a great addition for the Stampeders. If the team is committed to giving the ball to Drew Tate and moving on from Henry Burris, which clearly they are it seems to me that Glenn would be a great guy to have on board. I was surprised to hear that he is only 32 years of age, based on the fact he’s played in the league for 12 years. He can still play if they need him. Tate looks poised to be the guy and never look back. But if he isn’t, the Stamps could do a lot worse than giving the ball to Glenn. Plus, it saves the Stampeders from the potentially awkward scenario of having to simply release Burris for nothing. Hamilton gets the guy they wanted, the Stamps get a useful piece, and it looks as good optically as it could for a club bidding adieu to it’s franchise player.

- Rene Bourque. What are you doing? I wasn’t sure you should have been suspended for the hit you laid on Brent Seabrook, but you got two games. Then against Washington you hang out your elbow and clock Nicklas Backstrom? Dumb. I know athletes make a lot of cash, but it’s likely going to be about 75 thousand dollars in lost wages in the last month.

- Thanks to HBO’s 24/7 I can’t get Mac Miller’s “Knock Knock” out of my head. Awesome.

- Watching Alexander Ovechkin find his game makes me long for Sidney Crosby. It didn’t get much better than when these two guys were on top of the scoring chase and trying to out do each other. I’m worried about Sid.

I think that’s a good start. Or at least a start.

As the month of November comes to a close, there are certainly still more questions than answers for the Calgary Flames. The losses outnumber the wins and it seems like the team is destined to become a spectator once again when the playoffs get underway come spring time. The Jarome Iginla trade rumors are in full swing, and not just here in our city. League wide, media and fans speculate as to when the Flames will trade Jarome and what kind of return he might bring them. Seems like it’s just a matter of time until we’re getting used to seeing Iginla in a different NHL jersey.

Just not according the Flames.

Team President Ken King and General Manager Jay Feaster both spoke out in various mediums over the weekend to react to the ongoing speculation. Neither seemed fond of having to do so, but each did their best to quash the rumors. Feaster categorically denied any notion that the team has asked Iginla for a list of teams he’d be willing to go to, and likewise that Iggy hadn’t gone and provided them with a list. Feaster has said in the past he won’t be the GM that trades Jarome Iginla. King has stated that Iginla will end his career in Calgary.

I’ve spoken with both King and Feaster on different occasions and they’ve stressed to me that if I ever had a question as to what was happening, to simply ask them. No beating around the bush. They’d give me the answer. We saw that this weekend. Both men were adamant that no trade was coming. No lists have been exchanged. If we choose to think they are lying, then so be it, but the answer is there if you choose to believe it.

I do. I tend to believe King and Feaster when they say no official Iginla trade discussion has taken place.

That said, I also believe it has to. Loyalty is honorable and all too rare. Iginla deserves tremendous respect and has earned it. If that means that the team feels it cannot broach the trade subject with him however, than loyalty is coming at the expense of progress. Jarome Iginla is a terrific hockey player. I believe he can still play, perform and contribute at a high level. But for him and the team to simply sit back and watch the time pass is lost opportunity. A return for Iginla by way of trade would be considerable one would think. Also, it can be assumed that Iginla might enjoy more success, team and personal with a change of scenery. It seems clear doesn’t it? Crystal clear. However, there is a lot that goes into trading an iconic figure like Iginla. It takes time. That time, it seems, hasn’t come yet.

Tick tock.

The Calgary Flames suffered another lackluster defeat at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets Monday night 4-1. The Flames were outshot 11-3 in the third period in spite of trailing in the game. The team seemed to lack emotion and went quietly into the night. Disappointing, would be an understatement.

Tuesday morning, not surprisingly we were pretty harsh on the team and its apparent lack of emotion. Rhett Warrener was especially down on the team and captain Jarome Iginla. Warrener has been rough on the team at times, but Tuesday he pulled no punches. Ordinarily, after we are highly critical of the team, some of the devoted fan base will either call in or email to inform us that we are way off base. A few individuals will take issue with our stance and stress that we are way too negative.

Except that didn’t happen Tuesday.

Maybe those fans are still out there wrapped in the flag and just couldn’t get through on the phone lines. Perhaps they’ve stopped listening to the show altogether based on the ongoing tone of the program. Or could it be possibly that, perish the thought, the majority of fans feel the same way?

The overlying theme of the phone calls and emails from the show seemed to suggest that the fans are tired of the current direction and are ready for change. Losses can and will be tolerated, so long as there is a goal in mind. Not continuing to try to squeeze blood from a stone.

Rebuild. The “R” word. It’s been a nasty word around the Flames, but how much longer can avoiding it go on?

This team is not going to make the playoffs. That seems like a safe bet. So what now? Yes, a lot of contracts are coming off the books at the end of the season. But what of the next 60 some odd games? Jay Feaster used the term “intellectual honesty” when he assumed the General Manager’s chair less than a year ago. That type of honesty seems more imperative now than ever. It’s easy to sit where we sit and say, “trade this guy” and “trade that guy”, but it seems impossible at this point to suggest that this team is headed in the right direction.

And finally, it seems like even the die hard fans see it.

Well, that was something. Yup. Really something.

The Calgary Flames were beaten 5-1 by the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday night. In some respects, that’s all you need to know. The Canucks have had the Flames number for quite some time, and Tuesday was just another chapter. Vancouver rolled to a 5-0 lead by the half way point of the game and it was over. Way over. The Flames didn’t muster much of anything, and their lone goal came with about 80% of the fans already in their cars.

So. What does it mean?

Is it just one game? Yes.

Are the Flames eliminated from the postseason? No.

But is it eerily reminiscent of games from the past that ultimately ended up being the teams un-doing.

The Flames struggle beating the league’s best. They have for some time. Like most good teams, the Flames find a way against teams low in the overall standings. The problem arises when they take on the upper echelon clubs. This year already, the Flames have fallen to Pittsburgh, The Rangers, Nashville and Vancouver…all teams that played after game 82 a year ago. What makes matters worse is that there have already been losses to non playoff teams St. Louis and Toronto.

Five hundred isn’t good enough. Hasn’t been for a while. The Flames have won 40 or more games in each of the past seven years. Forty wins is a heck of an accomplishment, but that isn’t the goal. It’s the playoffs. Last year, the team over came a sluggish first half of the season to come up with a 41 win season. The managment, coaching staff and players have all made countless references to last season’s impressive performance after Christmas last season. Granted, the team did catch fire and roar back into the playoff chase. As impressive as it was, it seems foolhardy to expect or bank on it to happen again. It’s worth noting that in spite of the reversal of fortune a year ago, the team did STILL miss the playoffs. Waiting and hoping for things just to naturally correct themselves feels a little like staring at a stack of bills and waiting to hit the lottery to get all of them paid off.

Does a loss like the one Tuesday night make everyone a little punchy? Clearly it does, but it doesn’t render everyone’s concern irrelevant either.

Tuesday night’s Battle of Alberta won’t go down as one of the more memorable chapters in the rivalries history. The Edmonton Oilers scored one goal, a powerplay marker early and nothing more. There was almost a scrap. The Flames did little for 2 and a half periods before getting two goals in less than two minutes and held on to win it. Not a masterpiece.

But it was a beautiful thing for the home team.

Imagine if the Flames were to skate their way through that snoozer without getting a single point, let alone none? The fans would have booed them off the ice. The critics would be at full volume. Instead, the Flames get two points and have five more games on their current home stand.

Now let’s be real. Does this one victory change the big picture? Are the Flames guaranteed anything more in terms of playoff stability with this win, as opposed to had they lost? Should fans suddenly feel like their favorite team is a lock to beat the New York Rangers on Thursday night. The answer to all of the above is of course, no. The thing is though, in the late stages of a season when teams are scrambling for points no one really cares how pretty the end result is. It’s not how, it’s how many, and in this case it’s two points. So if style points matter not in February and March, should they now? Not for this team. The Flames, if they qualify for the post season, will likely have to scrape and claw their way in. The margin for error for this time is probably going to be miniscule. Which is why this result was so important. The Flames may not have been a precision unit, but neither were the Oilers. What if Edmonton had come in without their best player in Taylor Hall, play their second game in as many nights and then win a 1-0 snoozer???

In the end, the Flames should have won the hockey game and did. 2 points. Zero to a division rival. Masterpiece? Certainly not. Mission accomplished? Indeed. And just like they would in the stretch drive of the regular season, the Flames will tuck away the two points and move on.

- Even the NHL regular season got underway a week ago, I’m starved for hockey. These nights with just 2 or 3 games are a killer.

- Four weeks to go in the CFL regular season and we’ve got a three way tie for tops in the West. If I had to pick, I’d say BC will win it but we should be in for a terrific month of football.

- What is Kyle Turris thinking?

- How lucky is Eric Nystrom? He signs a 1.4 million dollar a year deal with Minnesota, but one year later is deemed too expensive and is waived through the league. No takers. He’s shipped to the American Hockey League but because the Dallas Stars needed to up their payroll to reach the salary cap floor, they swing a deal to bring in Nystrom and his 1.4 mill. Maybe not exactly the reason a player wants to be dealt, but it beats playing in the “A”.

- Carey Price is a heck of a goalie. I’m prepared to say I was dead wrong a year ago when I said he couldn’t survive in Montreal.

- It’s clear that there are no winners in the starter vs backup goalie playing time debate. Fans have cried for Miikka Kiprusoff to play fewer games. The coach and management stated coming into the season that this year, his workload was going to decrease. Which pleased many. Then when Henrik Karlsson starts the second game of the season, people gripe about the timing of it. Nobody wins, unless the team always wins.

- Yes, I’m a Yankee fan but the MLB playoffs are just better when the Red Sox or Yankees are involved.

- Please let Sidney Crosby be healthy. For all of us. And him.

- Fans in Philadelphia booed Crosby, Ryan Miller and Jonathan Toews on the jumbotron at Wells Fargo Center Wednesday night. Which is no big deal, except that they were involved in a promotion of the NHL’s breast cancer awareness. Maybe they were booing cancer?

- So far, I’m dead wrong on Jaromir Jagr. He’s looked just fine. I’ll reserve judgement until January or February though. Just to be sure.

- Even without Sean Avery involved, I can’t wait for the HBO behind the scenes 24/7 doc of the Rangers and Flyers leading up to the Winter Classic.

- Would winning one…just one proline ticket be too much to ask?

- What’s the cutoff time for leftover turkey? I’ve got to be getting dangerously close to it.

As I sat watching the Calgary Flames 5-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Monday afternoon, I thought of Melvin Udall.

Remember Melvin?

Didn’t think so.

Melvin was the central character from a 1997 Jack Nicholson film where Melvin, who was a best selling author, had a general dislike for most people and things in life. He was wealthy and relatively successful, but couldn’t be happy no matter what. The name of the film, and his general emotion in life was, what if this is “as good as it gets?”

Watching the Blues run over the Flames evoked much the same emotion from me, as I’m guessing it did from a lot of Flames fan. What if, Flames fans, THIS…is as good as it gets?

In fairness, it was only the second game of the season. Truthfully too soon for impending doom, but still. This could prove to be a very long season if the emotion, effort and results come to be a regular occurance.

Or, maybe it could be a major wake up call at the perfect time. Maybe the naysayers have a little Melvin Udall in them.

This issue is that the Flames missed the postseason a year ago mostly because of a slow start. It’s been often and well documented the poor start to the year, salvaged by a second half surge that left the team a mere three points out of the playoffs. The lessons had been learned and the start to this season was paramount. Ouch.

Two games do not a season make. But I have to wonder how many Melvin Udall’s are emerging within Flames nation?